Needle bar mechanism for a warp knitting machine



"Jan. 27,1970 I YK.KOHI 3, 1

NEEDLE BAR MECHANISM FOR A WARP KNI'1"I'IN(: MACHINE Filed Feb. 19, 1968 INVENTOR= KARL 140m;

K KM Aeeu-r United States Patent 3,491,557 NEEDLE BAR MECHANISM FOR A WARP KNI'ITING MACHINE Karl Kohl, Olfenbacher Landstr. 20, Hainstadt am Main, Germany Filed Feb. 19, 1968, Ser. No. 706,315 Claims priority, application Germany, Mar. 2, 1967, M 73,001 Int. Cl. D04b 23/02 US. CI. 66-87 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The needle bars of a warp knitting machine for narrow goods are mounted on respective sets of carrier levers pivoted on the machine frame. The levers are oscillated by means of push rods and cam follower levers which connect the two sets of carrier levers with cams on a single cam shaft, cam follower levers associated with both needle bars engaging a common cam. Two push rods linked by a two-armed lever connect one set of carrier levers with the corresponding cam follower levers so that the two needle bars move in opposite directions longitudinally of the needles. The knitted fabric is passed through a gap between the carrier levers and around guide rollers above the cam shaft into a horizontal path and out of the machine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to warp knitting machines, and particularly to a needle bar mechanism for a warp knitting machine having two needle bars.

It is frequently desired to knit narrow fabrics on machines of the afore-mentioned type, for example, shoe laces, tubular nets, stockings, and the like. It was common practice heretofore to equip such machines with needle bar mechanisms of the type conventional and necessary for knitting wide goods. The weight of the movable machine elements in such needle bar mechanisms is relatively high and is the primary factor in limiting the speed at which the knitting machine may be operated.

The object of the invention is the provision of a needle bar mechanism for warp knitting machines having two needle beds which is much lighter in weight than the aforedescribed mechanism normally employed for knitting goods extending substantially over the full width of the machine, and permitting a correspondingly higher machine speed when the machine is used for knitting narrow fabrics.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION With this object and others in view, the invention provides two carrier levers pivotally mounted on the supporting stationary machine frame and having free ends which define a gap therebetween. A needle bar is mounted on each of the free ends, the needle bars being elongated in a common direction and carrying rows of knitting needles which are elongated transversely of the direction of elongation of the associated needle bars. A single cam shaft rotatable on the supporting machine frame carries a cam arrangement engaged by two cam follower members from which movement is transmitted to the two carriers respectively in such a manner as to move the needles longitudinally when the cam shaft rotates.

Preferably, the two cam follower members engage the same cam member of the cam arrangement. The motion transmitting train from one of the cam followers'to the associated carrier lever may include two push rods connected by a two-armed lever. The fabric knitted on the needles falls downwardly through the gap between the carrier levers and needle bars, and is guided into a hori- "ice zontal path above the cam shaft by a guide roller.

Additional features, other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will readily be appreciated from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when considered in connection with the appended drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The sole figure of the drawing shows the needle bar mechanism and associated elements of a warp knitting machine in a perspective view.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The drawing shows only as much of a Raschel warp knitting machine as is needed for an understanding of this invention. The non-illustrated portions of the machine are not directly relevant to the invention and may be entirely conventional.

The machine has two needle bars 1, 2 which carry respective rows of latch needles 3, 4, only partly shown. The needle bars 1, 2 are mounted respectively on the free ends of two sets of one-armed carrier levers 5, 6, only one lever of each set being shown. The levers of the two sets are pivoted respectively on two fixed shafts 7, 8 which are elements of the stationary supporting frame of the machine, not otherwise shown in detail.

The lever 6 is oscillated during operation of the machine by a motion transmitting rod 9 which connects the carrier lever 6 to a cam follower lever 10 pivoted on a shaft 11 parallel to the shaft 8. The carrier lever 5 is similarly oscillated by a cam follower lever 12 mounted on a shaft 12a and connected to the carrier lever 5 by a motion transmitting train consisting of two push rods 13, 14 and a two-armed lever 15 pivoted on a stationary shaft 15a. The arms of the lever 15 are respectively connected to the rods 13, 14 so that the rods move in opposite directions.

The cam follower levers 10, 12 engage a common eccentric cam 16 fixedly fastened on a cam shaft 17. When the cam shaft 17 rotates, the needles associated with one of the carrier levers 5, 6 move longitudinally upwardly while the needles associated with the other carrier lever move longitudinally downwardly, and vice versa.

The fabric knitted on the needles 3, 4 hangs downwardly through the gap between the free ends of the carrier bars 5, 6. It passes between two rollers 21, 22 mounted on the machine frame above the cam shaft 17 in a manner not further illustrated and driven for rotation about horizontal axes, as indicated by curved arrows. The roller 22 guides the fabric into a horizontal path, as indicated by the arrow 23 toward a non-illustrated batching roller.

The afore-described knitting machine difiers from conventional machines of a similar type by lacking a second cam shaft and associated elements which unnecessarily contribute to the weight of the moving machine elements and thus limit the operating speed of the machine.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosure relates only to a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention chosen hereinfor the purpose of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a warp knitting machine, in combination:

(a) a support;

(b) two carrier levers pivotally mounted on said support and having respective free ends defining a gap therebetween;

(c) a needle bar fixedly fastened on each of said free ends, said needle bars being elongated in a common direction;

(d) a row of knitting needles on each needle bar, the needles being elongated transversely of the direction of elongation of the associated bar;

(e) a cam shaft rotatable on said support;

(f) an eccentric cam member mounted on said shaft;

(g) two cam follower levers pivotally mounted on said support and each engaging said cam member for pivoting movement of the cam follower levers when said cam shaft rotates;

(h) two motion transmitting means respectively interposed between said cam follower levers and said carrier levers for moving said needles longitudinally when said cam shaft rotates,

(1) one of said motion transmitting means including a push rod connecting one of said cam follower levers with the associated carrier lever, and

(2) the other motion transmitting means including a two-armed lever pivoted on said support and two push rods respectively connecting the two arms of said two-armed lever to the other cam follower and to the carrier lever associated therewith.

2. In a machine as set forth in claim 1, said cam shaft being spaced from said gap downwardly substantially in the direction of elongation of said needles, and take-up means for a fabric knitted on said needles, the take-up means including guide means intermediate said gap and said cam shaft for guiding a fabric downwardly extending from said gap in a horizontally extending path upwardly spaced from said cam shaft.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,951,104 3/1934 Mills -6685 2,924,247 2/1960 Flamand 139--79 XR 3,115,023 12/1963 Mosig et a1. 66-84 3,171,271 3/1965 Noe 6687 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 723,091 2/1955 Great Britain.

RONALD FELDBAUM, Primary Examiner 

